Fashion

A Twitter User Shared The Unknown Use For Those Jacket Shoulder Straps & You'll Be So Shook

by Stephanie Montes

I've been on this planet for 28 years now, and I can say without a doubt that, today, I learned the most mind-blowing information I've ever received in my life. It's about one of my favorite pieces of clothing and I learned it from — wait for it — Twitter. But before you write me off as a clueless millennial seeking advice on social media, this is not only totally game-changing, but it's something I think most people don't know about, not even my parents. Sure, mom, you have taxes down, but do you know what the shoulder straps on jackets are for? Didn't think so!

The straps I'm talking about are those horizontal loops that sit on the shoulder of your jacket and snap open and closed. If I'm being totally honest, I have never once questioned the function of those snaps on my leather jackets and trench coats. I'm curious by nature and even graduated with a bachelor's degree in fashion design. (I must've missed the day that explained what shoulder straps were for?) I guess I just always assumed they were purely decorative. Luckily for me — and the entire world — someone figured out what these tiny straps are actually for, and nothing in my life has ever made so much sense.

Here's the deal, someone on Twitter shared a photo of their jacket's shoulder strap snapped closed, with a red purse strap running through the inside of the band on their jacket. The caption of the photo read, "Taken me 18 years to find out that the weird shoulder buttons on jackets is to hold your bag in place so it doesn’t fall off who knew"? Well, don't feel bad, because it took me 28 years.

Just like me, people on Twitter were completely dumbfounded by this one user's genius discovery. "Twitter has taught me more things about life than life itself," someone tweeted, while another user shared, "Twitter is basically school but for things that'll actually benefit your life." Preach! Others just replied with funny gifs to illustrate just how mind blown they were, and honestly, same!

While this might be a brand new discovery for our generation —and probably that of our parents and grandparents — historically, shoulder straps were used in this same exact way. According to Time, apparently, most variations of military uniforms included a shoulder strap, also called "epaulettes" to keep bags, bayonets, and the like in place. Who knew the resolution to one of fashion's greatest annoyances was actually rooted in history and only a Google search or Tweet away?

Unlike the generations before us, we can now live in the moment rather than quarrel with our purse straps — and they say we millennials are too distracted! But with this knowledge now comes the responsibility to pass on the intel to the generations that come after us. Thanks to this brand new information, our kids will never know the struggle of going through life constantly having to adjust your bag on your shoulder. Lucky dogs.